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"Lectio Divina." The Pope Takes Everyone Back to School
Benedict XVI has taught the clergy of Rome how to read the Sacred Scriptures. And also the
seminarians. But his lesson is for all. And he has put it into practice in his book on Jesus
by Sandro Magister
ROME, March 17, 2011 – In the second volume of "Jesus of Nazareth," just as in the first,
Benedict XVI proposes an interpretation of the Gospels that is not only historical-critical, nor
only spiritual, but simultaneously historical and theological: the only interpretation that, in his
judgment, is capable of leading to an encounter with the "real" Jesus.
"It is a matter of finally recovering," he writes in the preface to the book, "the methodological
principles for exegesis formulated by Vatican Council II in 'Dei Verbum' 12. A task that,
unfortunately, has hardly been faced at all."
Pope Joseph Ratzinger had recalled these principles forcefully in an address at the synod of
bishops in 2008, dedicated precisely to the interpretation of the Sacred Scriptures. And he
reiterated them in the postsynodal apostolic exhortation "Verbum Domini," released last year as
the conclusion of that synod.
This kind of interpretation is so near to Benedict XVI's heart that he is also taking it up more and
more often in his encounters with priests and seminarians.
In recent days, he has done so twice: on March 4 with the students of the Pontifical Roman
Seminary, and on March 10 with the priests of the diocese of Rome.
Pope Ratzinger has made a practice of gathering the priests of Rome around him at the
beginning of each Lent. In past years he had responded to their questions. This year, instead,
he gave them a 'lectio divina,' in commentary on a passage from the Acts of the Apostles.
Benedict XVI again explained what 'lectio divina' is in "Verbum Domini." It is a "prayerful
reading" of the Sacred Scriptures" that unfolds in four basic steps:
- the "lectio": what the biblical text itself says;
- the "meditatio": what the biblical text is saying to us;
- the "oratio": what we say to God in response to his Word;
- the "contemplatio": what conversion of mind, heart, and life God is asking of us.
With the students of the Pontifical Roman Seminary, the future priests of the diocese of Rome,
in a meeting on the evening of March 4, Benedict XVI held a "lectio divina" on a passage from
chapter 4 of the letter of Paul to the Ephesians.
The pope lingered over some key words, in their original language: call (which in Greek, he
said, has the same root as "Paraclete," the Holy Spirit, humility (the same Greek word that Saint
Paul uses to indicate the self-abasement of the Son of God to the point of becoming man and
dying on the cross), sweetness (the same Greek word that is found in the Beatitudes).
The complete text of the pope's "lectio divina" with the seminarians of Rome is now available on
the Vatican website, translated into various languages:
> "I am very glad to be here..."
With the priests of Rome, instead, Pope Ratzinger commented on what is called the "pastoral
testament" of Saint Paul, his moving farewell address to the Christians of Ephesus and Miletus,
related in chapter 20 of the Acts of the Apostles.
The "lectio" was held in the Hall of Blessing, behind the front balcony of the basilica of Saint
Peter, the one on which the popes appear after they are elected, and for solemn blessings.
Benedict XVI spoke for more than an hour, off the cuff, with just a page of notes in front of him.
The transcription, with the necessary scrutiny, therefore took some time. And so when it was
made public, it was by then seen by the media as too "old" for coverage.
As a result almost no one, except for the priests present, heard anything about it.
And yet the "lectio divina" held on that occasion by the pope is among those that deserve to be
read and savored in their entirety. It is a prime example of adherence both to the letter and to
the spirit of the Sacred Scriptures, in the footsteps of Origen, Ambrose, Augustine, Gregory, the
Fathers of the Church, and the great medieval theologians. With lively attention to the
challenges of the present time and to the impact of the Word of God on our lives.
Here are some of the passages, in the style typical of spoken language.
_____________
"NOT A CHRISTIANITY 'À LA CARTE', ACCORDING TO HIS OWN TASTES..."
by Benedict XVI
Dear brothers, [...] we have heard the passage from the Acts of the Apostles (20:17-38) in which
Saint Paul speaks to the presbyters of Ephesus, intentionally recounted by Saint Luke as the
testament of the apostle, as a discourse destined not only for the presbyters of Ephesus, but for
the presbyters of all time. Saint Paul is speaking not only with those who were present in that
place, he is really speaking with us. So let us try to understand a little of what he is saying to us,
at this time. [...]
"I have served the Lord with all humility" (v. 19). "Humility" is a keyword of the Gospel, of the
whole New Testament. [...] In the letter to the Philippians, Saint Paul reminds us that Christ, who
was above all of us, was really divine in the glory of God, humbled himself, came down
becoming man, accepting all the fragility of being human, going all the way to the ultimate
obedience of the cross (2:5-8). Humility does not mean false modesty – we are grateful for the
gifts that the Lord has given to us – but indicates that we are aware that all we are able to do is
a gift from God, it is given for the Kingdom of God. In this humility, in this not wanting to make
an appearance, we work. We do not ask for praise, we do not want "to be seen," for us it is not
a decisive criterion to think about what they will say about us in the newspapers or elsewhere,
but what God says. This is true humility: not to appear before men, but to be under the gaze of
God and work with humility for God, and so really to serve humanity and men as well.
"I have never drawn back from what could be helpful, for the sake of preaching to you and
instructing you" (v. 20). Saint Paul returns to this point after a few sentences and says: "I have
not drawn back from the duty of proclaiming to you all the will of God" (v. 27). This is important:
the apostle does not preach a Christianity "à la carte," according to his own tastes, he does not
preach a Gospel according to his own favorite theological ideas; he does not draw back from
the task of proclaiming all the will of God, even the inconvenient will, even the themes that
personally are not very pleasing.
It is our mission to proclaim all the will of God, in its totality and ultimate simplicity. [...] And I
think that the world of today is curious to know everything. [...] This curiosity should be ours as
well: [...] truly to know all the will of God and to know how we can and should live, what is the
path of our life. So we should make known and understood – as much as we can – the content
of the "Credo" of the Church, from the creation to the Lord's return, to the new world. Doctrine,
the liturgy, morality, prayer – the four parts of the Catechism of the Catholic Church – indicate
this totality of the will of God.
And it is also important not to lose ourselves in the details, not to create the idea that
Christianity is an immense package of things to learn. Ultimately it is simple: God has shown
himself in Christ. Entering into this simplicity – I believe in God who showed himself in Christ
and I want to see and realize his will – has content, and according to the situations, we can then
enter into the details or not, but it is essential that above all the ultimate simplicity of the faith be
made understood. Believing in God as he has shown himself in Christ is also the inner richness
of this faith, it gives the answers to our questions, including the answers that we do not like at
first and are nonetheless the way of life, the true way. When we also enter into these things that
we do not like so much, we can understand, we begin to understand that it really is the truth.
And the truth is beautiful. The will of God is good, it is goodness itself.
The the apostle says: "I have preached in public and in homes, testifying to Jews and Greeks
about conversion to God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 20-21). Here there is a summary
of the essential: conversion to God, faith in Jesus. But let's stay for a moment with the word
"conversion," which is the central word or one of the central words of the New Testament, [...] in
Greek "metànoia," change of thinking, [...] meaning a real change in our view of reality.
Since we were born in original sin, for us reality is the things that we can touch, it is money, it is
my position, it is the things of every day that we see on the news: this is reality. And spiritual
things appear a bit behind reality. "Metànoia," change of thinking, means inverting this
impression. Not material things, not money, not the edifice, not what I can have is the essential,
is reality. The reality of realities is God. This invisible reality, apparently far from us, is reality.
To learn this, and thus to invert our thinking, to judge truly how the real that must orient
everything is God, this is the word of God. This is the criterion, God, the criterion of everything I
do. This really is conversion: if my concept of reality has changed, if my thinking has changed.
And this must then penetrate all the individual things of my life: in the judgment of every single
thing to take as criterion what God says about this. This is the essential thing, not what I get
now for myself, not the advantage or disadvantage that I will obtain, but the true reality, to orient
ourselves to this reality.
We must precisely – it seems to me – during Lent, which is a journey of conversion, exercise
anew every year this inversion of the concept of reality, namely that God is reality, Christ is
reality and the criterion of my acting and of my thinking; to exercise this new orientation of our
life.
________________
The complete transcription of the "lectio divina" held by Benedict XVI with the priests of Rome,
March 10, 2011:
> "È per me una grande gioia..."
______
Benedict XVI's address at the synod of bishops on the Word of God in the life and mission of
the Church, October 14, 2008:
> "Working on my book on Jesus..."
And the apostolic exhortation of Benedict XVI that summarized that synod:
> Verbum Domini
Paragraphs 86-87 of "Verbum Domini" are expressly dedicated to the "prayerful reading" of the
Sacred Scriptures and to "lectio divina."
________________
In the illustration, a detail of a fresco by Blessed Angelico, in the convent of Saint Mark in
Florence, with Saint Dominic reading the Sacred Scriptures.
__________
English translation by Matthew Sherry, Ballwin, Missouri, U.S.A.